Wintertime Israeli Couscous

We picked this recipe up at Steve & Kelly's on Thanksgiving. It was really good. I finally got around to making this for dinner this past weekend, and made some minor adjustments. Fresh lemon is easier and much cheaper than preserved lemon. Though, I do want to make my own home-canned preserved lemon, found a recipe for that. Also, I added much more dried fruit and more toasted nuts.



Israeli Couscous w/ Roasted Butternut Squash & Lemon
Gourmet | September 1999

1 preserved lemon, or juice and zest of two lemons
1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons olive oil, more possibly
1 large onion, chopped
1 3/4 cups Israeli couscous, about 1 pound
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Halve lemons and scoop out flesh, keeping both flesh and peel. Cut enough peel into 1/4-inch dice to measure 1/4 cup. Put lemon flesh in a sieve set over a bowl and press with back of a spoon to extract juice. Or zest and juice lemons, reserve.

Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and salt to taste in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Roast in upper third of oven 15 minutes, or until squash is just tender, and transfer to a large bowl.

Cook onion in 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to turn golden. Add to squash.

Cook couscous with cinnamon stick in a large pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes, or until just tender, and drain in a colander (do not rinse). Add couscous to vegetables and toss with 2 tablespoon oil to coat.

Add lemon peel and juice, parsley, nuts, raisins, ground cinnamon, and salt to taste. Toss to mix well. Best at room temperature.